Theater chair



Jan. 12, 1932. I ISRAEL 1,841,035

THEATER CHAIR Filed June 27, 1929 jaw Q M M Patented Jan. 12, 1932PATENT OFFICE MAX ISRAEL, OF WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS THEATER CHAIRApplication filed June 27,

This invention relates to a chair particularly designed for use intheaters, halls or other audience rooms. In theaters particularly, therows of chairs or seats are commong'ly placed as close together aspossible, in order to thereby increase the seating capacity of thetheater. The rows are usually so close that a person seated in one ofthe ordinary theater chairs must rise in order to permit to anyone topass in front of him.

Chairs have been heretofore proposed which were so designed that thechair could be temporarily pushed backward when passage between the rowsof seats was desired.

.5 while the seat was normally maintained yieldingly in forwardposition.

My present invention relates to improvements in theater chairs of thetype above described and particularly to the provision of lo means bywhich further backward movement of the chair is prevented, if the chairin its backward movement encounters an obstruction such as the knees ofa person seated in the next rearward row.

In my improved construction, the chair is locked against fartherrearward movement upon encountering such an obstruction, while it isleft free for the usual return forward movement, by which also the partsare reset.

My invention further relates to certain arrangements and combinations ofparts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig.1 is a side elevation of a theater chair embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the supporting frame work, and

) Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of certain latch mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a theater chair having a seatportion and a .back 11 forming a unit therewith. The chair i is providedwith a supporting frame work comprising front members 14, back members16, braces 18, and cross frame members 19 and 20.

A U-shaped track member 22 is also prol vided between each pair ofadjacent chairs,

1929. Serial No. 374,223.

the front portion or bend of the member 22 being secured to one of thefront members 14 and the rear ends of the legs of the member 22 beingsecured to the back brace 19.

The seats 10 are each provided with depending brackets 24 and 26 at eachside thereof, each bracket being provided with an upper guide roll 27positioned to engage the track member 22. A lower guide roll 28 on eachbracket 24 engages the lower side of the track 22 and prevents upwarddisplacement of the seat.

The track 22 is mounted with a forward and downward inclination, and therolls 27 are so disposed that the seat 10 is positioned substantiallyhorizontally but will normally move downward to the forward limit oftravel of the seat.

A rack bar 30 is secured to the braces 19 and 20 under each seat 10 andis provided with rack teeth 32 and with a cam portion 34 for purposes tobe described.

A forwardly extending lever is mounted on a bracket 42 secured to theunderside of the'seat 10. The lever 40 is provided with a cross pin 44normally engaged by a hook 46 pivoted on a stand 47 and yieldingly heldin engaging position by a spring 48. A latch 50 is pivoted at theforward end of the lever 40 in position to engage the rack teeth 32 whenthe lever 40 is released from the hook 46.

A shield or safety member 52 is pivoted at the rear side of the back 11and at its lower end is provided with a plunger 54 slidable in a bearingmember 56 and positioned to engage the hook 46.

Having described the details of construction of my improved chair, themethod of operation and utility thereof are as follows:

When the occupant is seated in the chair, the force of gravity normallymaintains the chair at its extreme forward position, which may bedetermined by stop pins 60 in the members 22 or in any other convenientmanner. If a person wishes to pass between the rows of seats in front ofthe occupant, the seat 10 may be pushed manually rearward, allowingsufficient clearance while the occupant remains seated. As soon as theperson has passed, the seat will immediately return by gravity to itsnormal forward position.

If, however, continued rearward movement of the seat would causeengagement with a person seated in the next rearward row, the shield orsafety device 52, as soon as it touches the person seated rearward, willbe itself held from rearward movement while a slight continued movementof'the seat will cause the plunger 5%. to, engage the hook i' andcausing the same to be engaged by the hook 46, thus resetting the latchmechanism.

I have thus provided a theater chair capable of convenientrearwardmovement to permit passage in front thereof and l have also providedv asafety device by which further rearward movement is promptly preventedif an obstructionofany sort at the rear of the seat is encountered. Bythe use of my improvement, the convenience of pa-' trons of theaters orslmllar places 1s much in creased, as: the frequent necessity for risingis largely eliminated. A

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as setforth in the claims, but what I claim is c 1. A theater chair comprisinga frame, a seat yieldingly mounted in said frame and normally maintainedin forward position, said seat being manually movable rearward, means tovariably limit such rearward movementat any one of aplurality ofrearward positions, and a control mechanism for said limiting means,said control mechanism rendering said limiting means operative when aportion of saidmechanism is engaged by an obstacle at the rear of saidchair.

2. A theater chair comprising a fra me, a seat yieldingly mountedinsaidframe and normally maintained in forward position, said seat beingmanually movable rearward, means to lock said seat from further rearwardmovement in any one of a plurality of rear- Ward positions, and acontrol mechanism for said locking means, said control mechanismrendering said locking means operative when a part: of said mechanism isengaged by an obstruction at the rear of said chair.

3. A theater chair comprising a frame, a

seat yieldingly mounted in said frame and normally maintained inforwardposition, said seat being manually. movable rearward,

a locking device to limit rearward movement 'mally inoperative, andmeans to release'said latchand render said locking device operative uponengagement of said means with an obstruction at the rear of the saidchair, said locking device and latch being reset by return movementofsaid seat to forward position.

5. In a seatconstruction, a frame comprising track members each formedof a piece of rectangular bar stock bent to the form of a U -shaped bowand horizontally disposed, means of supporting said track members inspaced relation and at an upward and rearward slope, and seats mountedon said track members and slldable forwardly by gravity thereon, eachseat being supported on the adacent legs of two U-shaped traclrmembers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature. 7

- MAX ISRAEL.

